On the evidence for axionlike particles from active galactic nuclei

Journal Article · Fri Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.82.083502· OSTI ID:21432354

Pettinari, Guido Walter; Crittenden, Robert ^[1]

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1. Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

Burrage, Davis, and Shaw recently suggested exploiting the correlations between high and low energy luminosities of astrophysical objects to probe possible mixing between photons and axionlike particles (ALP) in magnetic field regions. They also presented evidence for the existence of ALP's by analyzing the optical/UV and x-ray monochromatic luminosities of active galactic nuclei. We extend their work by using the monochromatic luminosities of 320 unobscured active galactic nuclei from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Xmm-Newton Quasar Survey which allows the exploration of 18 different combinations of optical/UV and x-ray monochromatic luminosities. However, we do not find compelling evidence for the existence of ALPs. Moreover, it appears that the signal reported by Burrage et al. is more likely due to x-ray absorption rather than to photon-ALP oscillation.

• OSTI ID: 21432354
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 82, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.82.083502; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABSORPTION
ASTROPHYSICS
AXIONS
CORRELATIONS
EXPLORATION
GALAXY NUCLEI
LUMINOSITY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MIXING
MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION
OSCILLATIONS
PHOTONS
QUASARS
X RADIATION
BOSONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
RADIATIONS
SORPTION